Fashion
Risk-Takers Won the Red Carpet At The 2026 Cannes Film Festival
Pants, collars, and sneakers were all on the menu.
Memorial Day Weekend has come and gone, and while Americans were distracted by how rainy our first true long summer weekend was, the French and other glitterati were wrapping things up at Cannes Film Festival. The 12-day stint in the south of France is over, which means no more Bella Hadid sightings (sad!) and an end to the custom and haute-couture fashions walking up those infamous stairs. With the rest of the summer ahead of us, we’re taking a moment to name our favorite looks from what was an incredibly mixed bag of style across the week.
There were lots of capital-G gowns that were objectively pretty, but didn’t move our hearts or move the fashion needle forward. Our favorite looks are ones that made us come back and look again; indeed, four our the top ten include pants, something that may not feel at home at Cannes, but that’s exactly why we love them. Elsewhere, Hadid is naturally on the list as the unofficial Queen of Cannes, and other risk-takers proved playing it safe is not the way to be remembered. See who else rounded out our top picks below.
Odessa A’zion in Dior
A’zion is a true individual in every sense of the word, and her first Cannes saw her borrow from the boys and make an oversized gray suit her own. With the sleek Tom Ford eyewear, personal jewelry, and large belt buckle, she could’ve stepped onstage as a rock act and been equally as convincing.
Kristen Stewart in Chanel
If A’zion is a risk-taker of the modern era, Stewart is her natural predecessor. She always makes Chanel feel like her own, and this knit dress from the Fall/Winter 2026 runway is no different. All she needed was a quick updo, a red lip, and of course, sneakers to make it Kristen-ified.
Milena Smit in Tom Ford
One of our rising stars to watch is an Almodóvar muse — and now, a Tom Ford muse too. This is classic hot-girl glamour after dark, done to perfection.
Bella Hadid in Schiaparelli Haute Couture
It wouldn’t be a Cannes roundup without Hadid, and she turned out the best gown of the week in this divine Schiaparelli that pays homage to another Southern France queen, Jane Birkin.
Tilda Swinton in Chanel
Swinton is Matthieu Blazy’s dream client, and of course she nabbed one of the pantsuits from the Spring/Summer 2026 Couture runway to wear for a red carpet. How ineffably cool — and comfortable — she looks speaks to her relaxed yet exacting vision of clothing.
Demi Moore in Gucci
Moore was a jury member for this year’s competition, and gave new meaning to fresh off the runway in a Gucci look that walked in Times Square a mere 48 hours before this red carpet. The asymmetrical dress was shown sans pants, but Moore made it feel more PG-13 with the addition of a trouser. She kept the Demna cool-girl factor up, though, with her wrap-around shades and heavy Chopard jewels.
Chloé Zhao in Schiaparelli Haute Couture
Another jury member that stunned all festival long, and she earns a spot on the list with this daring Schiaparelli that, in other hands, could read too try-hard, but with her casual approach to glamour, hits all the right notes.
Halsey in Vivienne Westwood
Halsey at Cannes? We’ve heard of stranger things. She turned it out all week in Ann Demeulemeester and Dsquared2, but this dose of old-fashioned Victorian glamour with an edge takes it home. She also wins the unofficial award for most moisturized red-carpet skin.
Guitarricadelafuente in Dior
Another of our rising Cannes stars sent shockwaves through the festival screenings with his first film performance in La bola negra, and delivered on the fashion front with this plaid Dior collar worn with no shirt and a perfectly relaxed navy suit. We can’t wait to see his fashions all awards season long.
Renate Reinsve in Louis Vuitton
The hottest anyone looked all festival long, and it came right at the end for the closing ceremony. The real queen of Cannes (she’s now starred in two Palme D’Or-winning films) made headlines for borrowing a suit from Sentimental Value costar Stellan Skarsgård, but this takes the cake for most daring use of fashion tape and best minimalism with a rockstar edge.
